 A cow at theTullamore Show in Ireland | |
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| Country of origin | England |
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| Coat | red, red-and-white, roan or white |
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TheDairy Shorthorn is a Britishbreed ofdairy cattle.[5]: 132 [6]: 59 It derives from theShorthorn cattle ofTeesside, in theNorth Riding of Yorkshire and inNorthumbria (now divided betweenCounty Durham andNorthumberland) in north-easternEngland.[7] The Shorthorn was for this reason at first known as theDurham orTeeswater.[7]
Selective breeding for a dairy type began in the late eighteenth century.[4]: 162 This is known as the Dairy Shorthorn in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and South Africa, and as theMilking Shorthorn in Canada, New Zealand and the United States. TheIllawarra Shorthorn of Australia is largely descended from the Dairy Shorthorn.
Worldwide, theconservation status of the Dairy Shorthorn, the Illawarra Shorthorn and the Milking Shorthorn is "not at risk".[1]: 144 In the United Kingdom the small remainder of the breed not affected by indiscriminate cross-breeding in the twentieth century is known as theDairy Shorthorn (Original Population).[4]: 163 [5]: 132 It is critically endangered.[2][8] Both it and theNorthern Dairy Shorthorn are listed as "priority" – the highest category of risk – on the watchlist of theRare Breeds Survival Trust.[9][3]
In the nineteenth century the Durham – as it was then usually known – was very extensively used for cross-breeding in many countries of the world; it has contributed to the development of more than forty different breeds.[7]
Short-horned cattle of good quality are documented on the Yorkshire estates of theDukes andEarls of Northumberland in the late sixteenth century.[6]: 59 The first significant attempts atselective breeding of these cattle were made by Charles and Robert Colling inCounty Durham, who based their work on that ofRobert Bakewell ofDishley, inLeicestershire.[6]: 59 The principal work of selection for dairy qualities in the Durham/Shorthorn was done in the early nineteenth century by Thomas Bates ofKirklevington (now inStockton-on-Tees,North Yorkshire),[7] building principally on stock bought from the Colling brothers.[4]: 162 Aherd-book for all types of Shorthorn cattle – the Coates Herd Book – was begun by George Coates in 1822,[6]: 59 and initially listed 850 cows and 710 bulls;[8][a] it was later taken over by thebreed society, the Shorthorn Society of Great Britain and Ireland, which was formed in 1874.[7] Thomas Bates's herd was auctioned off piecemeal in 1850, which led to an expansion of interest in cattle of this type.[4]: 163 For the next hundred years the Shorthorn held a dominant position in British agriculture: in 1937–1938, just before the outbreak of theSecond World War, the number of Shorthorn bulls registered with theMinistry of Agriculture and Fisheries was23 730, not far from double the number of all registered bulls of other cattle breeds (12 917).[8] Breed numbers reached a peak in 1949, after which increasing competition from theFriesian caused them to decline rapidly. The number of registered bulls, already much lower than before the war at about 35% of the national total in 1949, fell to little over 10% in 1960.[4]: 163 Separate sections for beef and dairy strains within the Shorthorn breed were created in 1958.[7]
In 1969 the breed society approved a programme ofcross-breeding of the Dairy Shorthorn with a variety of other European breeds. Initially these were theDanish Red, theMeuse-Rhine-Yssel, theRed Friesian, theRed Holstein and theSimmental;[5]: 132 later, introgression fromAngeln,Ayrshire,Norwegian Red andSwedish Red-and-White was also permitted, as was the use of any bull that the Society had approved. Animals with no more than 25% Shorthorn heritage could be registered in the Dairy Shorthorn herd-book.[4]: 163 The programme led to the development of a new composite breed, theBlended Red-and-White Shorthorn. It also led to the virtual extinction of the Dairy Shorthorn: by about 2009 there fewer than 100 breeding cows, and by 2012 there were no more than 50; in that year six purebred calves were added to the herd-book. The remnants of the breed were renamed to Dairy Shorthorn (Original Population)[4]: 163 [5]: 132 It is acritically endangered breed;[2][8] both it and theNorthern Dairy Shorthorn are listed as "priority" – the highest category of risk – on the watchlist of theRare Breeds Survival Trust.[9][3]
Shorthorns of both beef and dairy type were first exported toMaryland andVirginia in the United States in 1783.[10] With further imports through the 1800s the breed spread across the whole country.
The first dairy cows imported into New Zealand were Shorthorns, when in 1814, they were shipped from New South Wales. Shorthorns were used as draught animals in bullock teams, were good milkers and provided good meat.[11] Shorthorn herds were established by the early 1840s, and for a long time Shorthorns were New Zealand's most popular cattle breed.
The breed has served as part of the foundation for other red dairy breeds, includingSwedish Red cattle,Angeln cattle andIllawarra cattle in Australia (with some Ayrshire ancestry). TheAyrshire cattle breed was originally formed from dairy-type Shorthorn cattle in Scotland.
The Milking/Dairy Shorthorn breed has seen population growth in several countries in the past decade after many years of population decline. The Canadian Milking Shorthorn Society had their highest registration and membership totals in over 25 years in 2012.[12] All major populations have seen an increase in interest in Milking Shorthorns by dairy producers, artificial insemination organisations, and crossbreeders.
The Dairy Shorthorn is an average-sized breed, with mature cows averaging 140 cm (55 in) tall at thetailhead, and weighing 640 to 680 kg (1,410 to 1,500 lb). They are red, red with white markings, white, or roan. Red and white coat colour genes in purebred Milking Shorthorns are co-dominant, resulting in the roan coloration and unique colour patterns seen in the breed. Average milk production for the breed is about 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) in an annual lactation of 305 days, with 3.8% butterfat and 3.3% protein.
Milking/Dairy Shorthorn cattle are also known for high levels of fertility, grazing efficiency, and ease of management that result in the breed being highly suitable for low-input dairy operations in various production environments.[13] Milking Shorthorns are known for their durability, longevity, and ease of calving as well as their versatility in a number of production environments.
There are small groups of Milking/Dairy Shorthorns that have not been affected by cross-breeding and so remain true to the conformation and production levels of Shorthorns from the early twentieth century. These include the Dairy Shorthorn population in Australia,[14] the Native Milking Shorthorns of the United States[15] and the Dairy Shorthorn (Original Population) in the United Kingdom.[8] In some countries, these animals may be known as Dual Purpose Shorthorns.
